Condition for Fogiveness
by Mariko Azrael
Summary: Go-onger. Hant tries to make sure Gunpei doesn't scare him again. Hant/Gunpei, spoilers for GP7.


Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: Spoilers for GP 7

* * *

The first three Engines were still out of commission, but they had won anyways, thanks to their new ally. And Hant was thrilled about all that, really. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get away from one particular part of the day.

"Why so gloomy, amigo?" Birca chirped as he hovered over Hant's wrist. "We won! And Speedor-tachi have pulled through worse." He gave Hant a wink. "Everything's going to be just fine."

"I know." Hant grabbed for a pillow with his free hand, hugging it close. "But… doesn't it bother you? At least a little?"

"Whaddya mean?"

Hant stared at the pillow. "Gunpei. Gunpherd. How close we came to… you know."

Birca moved from side to side, a motion that Hant decided was the Engine equivalent of shrugging your shoulders. "Now, now, don't worry about that. Your forehead will wrinkle the way Gunpei's does. Just be glad we were able to keep Carrigator from eating them up!"

"Yeah…" Hant hoped Birca would leave it at that. He was trying to let it go, really, but just the idea of losing Gunpei was so horrible…

"Hant. Birca." Hant looked up. He'd been so busy brooding over Gunpei, he hadn't noticed him coming into the van. Gunpei looked particularly uncomfortable as he cleared his throat. "We have something we'd like to say. Don't we, Gunpherd?"

Gunpherd nodded sternly. "Correct-- Gunpei, why don't you begin?"

Gunpei looked like he was considering slapping the wrist Gunpherd rested on… but then he began to speak. "Gunpherd and I…" his tone was almost painfully formal. "We'd like to thank you both for saving our lives."

"Yes, thank you." Gunpherd nodded again, and then took a hasty look around, as if he was expecting someone to ambush him. "Um, I need to rest after today's battle." He disappeared in a blue shimmer.

"Gunpherd's always been a prideful guy," Birca confided to Hant. "He must've been really grateful if he was even willing to do this!" Hant nodded automatically.

Meanwhile, Gunpei looked like he would have given anything at that moment to be able to disappear in a shimmer as well. "Well, since my partner has abandoned me, I supposed I'll say it alone," he said with a put upon sigh. Gunpei gazed at Hant levelly. "I'm also sorry that because of my inability to work with Gunpherd at the time, I wound up in a situation where you had to rescue me."

Hant was going to say, 'You should be sorry, I've been spending all night wondering what could have happened if we hadn't rescued you!' Then he was going to say, 'Don't mention it-- you've saved me more than once, after all'. Then finally, he came up with something worth saying out loud.

He got up with a bound and poked Gunpei in the chest. "I'll forgive you, but only on one condition."

Gunpei's expression was somewhere between confused and annoyed. "What's that?"

"You promise you never do anything that stupid again!"

"It was partly because I wouldn't leave Gunpherd that Carrigator decided to join us," Gunpei said with a glare.

Hant blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. "Well, yes, but… fine, but you gotta warn me next time!"

Gunpei raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to warn you about unexpected danger?"

"Um, okay-- but…" Why was this so hard to put into words?

Maybe, Hant suddenly realized, this simply wasn't something that could be put into words.

"Amigo, what're you--" Hant felt a flash of guilt when he turned off Birca, but it couldn't be helped. And besides, he was pretty sure Birca didn't want to see him grab Gunpei by the shoulders and plant a big one right on the lips.

Gunpei shoved Hant off, looking… well, not scared, because that was something Hant couldn't imagine him feeling **ever**, but more than a little startled. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Because I like you, and I nearly lost you!" There. He had said it. So much for not being able to put it into words.

"… Oh." Gunpei's mouth twitched in a way that was almost like… smiling?

Hant felt himself grin for the first time that night. "Does that mean you like me too, Gunpei?" This time he poked his teammate's cheek.

Gunpei rolled his eyes as he pushed Hant away. "I'm not going to be seduced by your inept kissing, Hant."

"You didn't say no…"


End file.
